Sourcing Components

You know what drivers you want. You have a design in mind. Now comes the practical question: where do you actually buy everything? After building dozens of headphones over the years, I’ve learned which suppliers are reliable, which ones to avoid, and how to find components that aren’t always obvious. Let me save you the trial and error I went through.

The Complete Parts List

Before we dive into suppliers, let’s break down everything you actually need for a complete headphone build:

Essential components: Drivers (2), ear cups/housings (2), ear pads (1 pair), headband, cable, connectors (if detachable), damping materials (foam, felt, cotton), and hardware (screws, nuts, washers, heat-set inserts).

Optional but recommended: Adjustment mechanism (slider or extending yokes), headband padding, cable management clips and strain relief, and protective grilles for open-backs.

Tools you’ll need: Soldering iron, multimeter, precision screwdriver set, hot air gun or soldering iron tip for heat-set inserts, wire strippers, helping hands or small vise, and access to a 3D printer if printing your own cups.

Drivers: Your Main Suppliers

Parts Express (partsexpress.com): The go-to source for North American DIY builders — reliable quality control, reasonable prices, fast shipping. One caution about the house brand: most of the Dayton Audio catalog is loudspeaker drivers, not headphone drivers. The one Dayton part that genuinely belongs in a headphone build is the CE38MB-32 (part # 285-131) — a 38 mm, 32-ohm mini driver around $3.49 that Dayton actually markets as a headphone replacement driver, and that the DIY community has real build history with. Its known character: bass-heavy in a closed-back design, so plan your damping accordingly.

Madisound (madisound.com): Another excellent US supplier. More focused on high-end components, sometimes carries drivers you won’t find elsewhere. Good customer service and technical knowledge.

AliExpress: As we discussed in Driver Selection Guide, proceed with caution. Use only for experimental builds with verified driver models.

Ear Pads

Ear pad sourcing depends on your design. If you’re using an existing headphone chassis or headband, look for replacement pads compatible with that model. If you’re designing from scratch, you have more options.

Amazon: Large selection of generic replacement pads. Search for “replacement ear pads” with your desired diameter (usually 90–105mm inner diameter for over-ear). Quality varies — read reviews carefully.

Geekria (geekria.com): Specializes in replacement audio accessories. Better quality than random Amazon generics, reasonable prices, good selection of materials.

Brainwavz (brainwavzaudio.com): Well-regarded in the DIY community for quality pads. Earpads are their specialty. Higher price but consistent quality.

What to look for in pads: Inner diameter (must match your design), material (velour for breathability, leather/pleather for isolation), depth/thickness (affects driver-to-ear distance and sound), and attachment method (many DIY designs use a simple friction ring).

Headband Components

This is where DIY gets interesting. For your first build, you have a few options:

Salvage from broken headphones: The headband and adjustment mechanism are often the hardest parts to design from scratch. A broken headphone with good mechanical components (even if the drivers are blown) is a valuable resource. Thrift stores and eBay are excellent sources.

3D print your own: Once you have CAD skills (covered in 3D Design for Headphones), you can print adjustment sliders, cups, and other structural components. Use PETG for structural parts — PLA is too brittle for parts that see repeated stress.

Headband kits: A few suppliers offer headband components. Search “headphone headband parts” on eBay and Amazon. Quality varies dramatically.

Cables and Connectors

Covered in detail in Cables, Connectors & Hardware, but briefly:

Wire: Mogami, Canare, or Belden from professional audio suppliers like B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or Redco Audio. For budget builds, 24 AWG stranded copper from Parts Express works fine.

Connectors: Neutrik for quality (3.5mm TRS jacks, mini-XLR). Amazon for budget 3.5mm jacks — buy name brands like Amphenol, not the cheapest option.

Damping Materials

Covered thoroughly in Damping Materials, but the quick sourcing guide:

Acoustic foam: Parts Express carries Acoustipack and similar materials. Amazon has many options — search for “acoustic foam packing material” rather than “soundproofing foam” (different products).

Felt: Craft stores (Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann Fabrics). Adhesive-backed felt is convenient. Regular felt works fine too.

Cotton: Craft stores. Polyester fiberfill from a fabric store also works well for rear-chamber fill.

Hardware and Fasteners

McMaster-Carr (mcmaster.com): The absolute best source for hardware. They have every fastener, grommet, spring, and specialty part you could want, with detailed specifications. Fast shipping. Slightly higher prices but worth it for specific parts you can’t find elsewhere.

Amazon: Good for assortment kits of common sizes (M3 screws in various lengths, heat-set inserts). Often cheaper than buying individually for common sizes.

Home Depot / Lowe’s: Limited selection but immediately available. Good for standard screws when you need them today.

Heat-set inserts specifically: Search “M3 heat set inserts” on Amazon. A kit of 100 mixed sizes runs $10–15 and will last you many builds. These are essential for creating durable threads in 3D printed parts.

Measurement Equipment

Not strictly a component, but you’ll want it for tuning. The full breakdown — what to buy at each budget tier, and what each rig can and can’t tell you — lives in Budget Measurement Setup. The gear recommendations stay current there rather than here.

One sourcing note worth making in this chapter: the usual entry-level calibrated USB mic, the MiniDSP UMIK-1, is frequently supply-constrained. Don’t plan around a single source — any calibrated measurement microphone with a downloadable calibration file does the same job in REW, so keep an alternative in mind for when the UMIK-1 is out of stock.

You don’t need measurement equipment for your first build — listening is sufficient. But once you’re serious about tuning, measurement tools become invaluable.

Budget Planning

For a realistic first build budget:

• Drivers: $15–30
• Ear pads: $15–25
• Cable and connectors: $10–20
• Damping materials: $10–15
• Hardware (screws, inserts): $10–20
• 3D printing filament: $5–10 (if printing your own parts)
• Total: $65–120

Budget separately for measurement equipment if you want it — Budget Measurement Setup breaks down what each tier costs.

What’s Next

Now that you know where to source everything, it’s time to understand how the acoustic chamber — the most critical physical design element — affects your headphones’ sound. In Acoustic Chambers and Enclosures, we’ll cover how chamber design affects sound, what materials work best, and how to design enclosures that actually sound good.